Honestly, if you were watching the news back in late 2024, you probably thought the governor race Washington state was just another predictable blowout. We like our patterns here. The Democrats haven't lost the governor’s mansion since 1985, which is kind of a wild stat when you think about it. It’s the longest winning streak for one party in any state executive office in the country.
But 2024 wasn't just "business as usual."
With Jay Inslee finally stepping aside after three terms, the vacuum left behind created a high-stakes scramble that felt way more intense than the final 55.5% to 44.3% margin suggested. Now that we’re sitting in 2026, looking back at Governor Bob Ferguson’s first year in office, the dust has settled—but the fractures from that race are still very much visible in how the state is being run today.
The Night the Streak Continued
The math was pretty clear by the time the late ballots started rolling in. Bob Ferguson, who’d been the state's Attorney General for over a decade, pulled in 2,143,368 votes. His opponent, former Congressman and King County Sheriff Dave Reichert, finished with 1,709,818.
Eleven points.
That’s a comfortable win in most universes, but for the GOP, it felt like a missed opportunity. Reichert was supposed to be the "moderate" who could finally flip the suburbs. He had the name recognition. He had the law enforcement background. But in the end, the governor race Washington state turned on a single, massive pivot point: reproductive rights.
Ferguson’s team hammered that drum relentlessly. They spent millions—and I mean millions—on ads painting Reichert as a threat to abortion access. Reichert tried to pivot to public safety and the cost of living, which are usually winning issues in a state where gas prices make you want to cry, but the "blue wall" held firm.
Why Clallam County Actually Mattered
Everyone talks about King County being the liberal engine, and it is. Ferguson crushed it there. But the real surprise? Clallam County. For those who don't follow the nerdier side of politics, Clallam was the last "bellwether" county in America—it had picked the winner of every presidential race since the 80s.
In 2024, Ferguson became the first Democrat to win Clallam County in a governor's race since 2000. When that happened, the Reichert camp knew the "moderate Republican" math just wasn't adding up.
The Chaos You Forgot About
Remember the "Three Bobs" incident? It sounds like a bad sitcom plot.
Right before the filing deadline in May 2024, a conservative activist managed to find two other guys named Bob Ferguson—one a retired state employee and the other a veteran—and convinced them to run. The idea was to split the vote and confuse people into accidentally voting for the wrong Bob.
It almost worked.
The Attorney General had to scramble. There were legal threats. There were frantic press conferences. Eventually, the "other" Bobs withdrew, but it served as a weird reminder of how dirty the governor race Washington state got behind the scenes. It wasn't just high-minded policy debates; it was a street fight.
What 2024 Changed for 2026 and Beyond
We're now seeing the actual fallout of that election. Governor Ferguson didn't waste any time once he was sworn in on January 15, 2025.
If you look at the current legislative session here in early 2026, he’s already pushed through a $9 billion tax package that he basically swore he wouldn't do during the campaign. That’s caused his approval ratings to tank a bit—a Cascade PBS/Elway poll from last summer had him at just 32% "good" or "excellent."
People are feeling the pinch.
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But he’s also leaning hard into the "Washington vs. The Feds" playbook. He created a specific transition subcommittee just to prep for "Project 2025" and federal overreach. He’s essentially positioned Washington as the headquarters of the "Resistance," which plays great in Seattle and Bellingham but keeps the east-west divide in the state wider than the Columbia River.
The Real Numbers of the 2024 Finish
- Bob Ferguson (D): 55.51%
- Dave Reichert (R): 44.28%
- Total Ballots Cast: Over 3.8 million
- The Funding Gap: Ferguson’s campaign and allied Super PACs outspent Reichert significantly, particularly in the final three weeks.
The Misconception of "Safe Blue"
The biggest mistake people make when talking about the governor race Washington state is assuming it's a monolith.
It isn't.
Outside of the I-5 corridor, the state is deep red. In the 2024 primary, a more "MAGA-aligned" candidate, Semi Bird, actually took about 10.8% of the vote. While he didn't make the general election, he represented a faction of the GOP that felt Reichert wasn't conservative enough. That split in the Republican party is arguably what handed Ferguson the keys to the mansion. If the GOP can't figure out how to bridge the gap between their rural base and suburban moderates, they might be looking at another 40 years of second place.
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Actionable Insights for the Next Cycle
If you're a voter or just someone trying to keep track of where this state is headed, here’s how you should be looking at the landscape as we move toward the 2026 midterms and eventually 2028:
- Watch the Ballot Initiatives: The governor's race is often overshadowed by the initiatives. In 2024, we saw major fights over the Climate Commitment Act and the capital gains tax. These drive turnout more than the candidates themselves.
- Follow the Money: Washington has some of the most transparent campaign finance laws. Use the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) website to see who is actually funding the attack ads you see on YouTube.
- Monitor the East-West Divide: Keep an eye on how Governor Ferguson handles water rights and land management in Eastern Washington. This is where the next "Reichert-style" challenger will try to build their base.
- The "Third Candidate" Factor: Keep an eye on the "top-two" primary. Because we don't have traditional party primaries, you often see two candidates of the same party cannibalizing each other before the general even starts.
The 2024 governor race Washington state was a masterclass in modern political branding. Ferguson won because he stayed on message—abortion and "protecting Washington"—while Reichert got bogged down trying to explain his past voting record.
It's a blueprint that Democrats will likely use for the next decade. Whether it keeps working as the cost of living continues to skyrocket is the $9 billion question.
Keep your eyes on the 2026 legislative wrap-up. The bills being signed right now are the direct result of those three million people who filled out their mail-in ballots back in November '24. Elections have consequences, but in Washington, those consequences usually come with a very familiar-looking logo.